Every year, no sooner are the results of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (Espad) published, than Sedqa comes out with its version of the findings. Year in year out, we are told that in Malta the problem of alcohol abuse is much larger than that of other countries.

Simplistic solutions without tackling root causes will never work...- Ray Grech

A number of views expressed during the launching of the results deserve analysis and comment.

It was reported that Sedqa was disappointed that, despite the raising of the legal drinking age to 17 years in 2009, little or no improvement has been registered and this was attributable to lack of enforcement.

The Sense Group (TSG) is fully supportive of the view that existing laws should be enforced and this was stated on a number of occasions. It is, however, pertinent to point out that when Sedqa was putting pressure on the government to raise the legal drinking age, TSG had insisted that, rather than raising the legal drinking age, it would be more appropriate for existing laws to be enforced first and that the raising of drinking age would not be a solution. It seems that time is proving TSG right.

It was reported in the media that Sedqa’s view is that “the cheap price of alcohol made it accessible to teenagers”, implying that increasing the price of alcohol would be a solution to the problem. There are a number of studies by experts in various countries which prove that this view is an incorrect one.

We have seen what effects increases in the price of alcohol had here in Malta in the past. They only served to increase illegal importation, push contraband sales and bring about loss of hundreds of thousands of euros to the Exchequer.

Introducing minimum unit pricing for alcohol products, as Sedqa seems to be advocating, will only adversely affect responsible consumers and genuine businesses in Malta while doing nothing to tackle the root causes of alcohol misuse.

It is simplistic to imagine that a minimum price is some sort of magic wand solution to irresponsible drinking. Irresponsible drinking has cultural causes and TSG has been engaged in information and education to change attitudes because it is convinced that that is the right route to get the message across.

We are confident that the government will carefully study whether the simplistic solutions being proposed by Sedqa should be preferred to other solutions that can be brought about by educating the public about the responsible consumption of alcohol.

What was new this year, however, were the remarks attributed in the reports to the permanent secretary within the Justice, Dialogue and Family Ministry at the launch of the Espad study.

It was reported that the permanent secretary said that “young people are infested by alcohol”. Does the permanent secretary realise that such a statement is an offence to the very large majority of young people in Malta who never abuse alcohol? What is the basis of this statement?

If there is no scientific basis for this statement, TSG feels that it can only serve to cause unnecessary worries to serious parents and also to young people themselves.

The same high government official is reported to have referred to “religious feasts where young people measured the feast’s success by how much beer was drunk”. Again, on what basis is this statement being made? Is this the way we are drawing up future strategies on alcohol?

TSG worries when such statements of an alarmist nature are made with no basis to support them.

These statements contrast sharply with the remarks made by Sedqa’s clinical director who is reported to have described the results as positive and encouraging and that, despite being small improvements, they mean a lot for people who work in the treatment services.

TSG is in full agreement with Sedqa’s clinical director in his assessment that more effort was needed to tackle the problem of alcohol abuse.

The group reiterates the stand it has taken since its formation in 1997 that it is against the abuse of alcohol and continues to support every initiative aimed at educating the public to drink responsibly.

It still firmly holds that education is a better tool than any other rigid legislative measure.

TSG has been very active in promoting the responsible consumption of alcohol. It has also supported calls for the enforcement of existing laws and shall continue to do so. It is, however, totally against, statements made without any basis and the creation of myths, which can only serve to alarm the public and throw a bad light on the large percentage of young people who have always showed great responsibility in their behaviour and in their consumption patterns.

Simplistic solutions without tackling root causes will never work and Sedqa is fully aware of this.

The author is director general of The Sense Group.